Ethic Inc. Buys 4,991 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Ethic Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 223.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,223 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,991 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $885,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $14,751,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the period. Hudson Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,897,000 after buying an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $274,000. Patten Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $277,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $319,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $135.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,252,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,032,204. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $121.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.57. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $167.78. The company has a market cap of $42.52 billion, a PE ratio of 16.01, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The business had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.82 earnings per share. Valero Energy's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 159.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $151.93.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.